THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MPDEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITIONSHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND TRAININGACTING SHADOW MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONSSHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMENMEMBER FOR SYDNEY

UNDEREMPLOYMENT AND LOW WAGES GROWTH IS HURTING AUSTRALIANS

Data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics highlights the fact that stubbornly high underemployment and stagnant wages growth are hurting Australian families.

The number of underemployed Australians – that is people wanting more work but not being able to find it - is at 1.123 million. When coupled with the number of unemployed, it means there are more than 1.8 million Australians who are looking for work or more hours.

Labor welcomes the very small drop in the unemployment rate. But we are concerned that there are still 706,000 unemployed Australians, with 11,300 more people lining the unemployment queue than when the Abbott-Turnbull Government was elected.

The youth unemployment rate remains more than double the national average.